Work Text:
The slow ache of straining muscles was unpleasant, but Al reveled in it after so many years of feeling nothing at all. He winced at a sharp pain in his leg as his therapist helped him stretch the calf. It had been over a year since Promised Day, and he no longer looked like a skeleton with hair. He was gaining weight at a steady clip, but the muscle atrophy was taking a while to address.
Al took a moment to recover as the therapist flipped through their notes. "Mr. Elric, I'm seeing good progress on your legs, but you should continue to use your cane for now. Your arms are recovering better, but I want you to keep the braces if you're going to be lifting anything. Talk to Miss Bianchi about the next appointment in a week." Al nodded on his way out the door.
Miss Bianchi, the receptionist, was trying to check in patients and answer the phone at the same time, so Al sat near the desk to wait. He absently rotated his ankles in circles while he flipped through a magazine.
The door shifted open, one brown haired boy dragging another, the second cradling an obviously broken arm. "Sammy, it's fine, stop worrying. I'll splint it, shift my work to my left, pick up note running in the morning. We can't afford another visit, come on!" Sammy was smaller than his probable brother, both wearing slightly ragged second hand clothes, the rolled up pants fraying at the bottom. Their hands and faces were reasonably clean, but their clothes showed signs of inexpert repair. Alphonse thought back to the years of travel with his brother; Ed living out of a suitcase and sleeping on trains and in barracks, himself living not at all, a metal ghost.
Miss Bianchi's mouth tightened, she had heard the boys' entrance. "Daniel, your arm is broken. It needs to be set, but we can't see you for free. I'm sorry."
Alphonse braced himself, levering up to his feet before using his cane to steady himself. He smiled his 'coaxing out a kitten' smile, "What seems to be the problem?"
The boys looked at each other, this man didn't look rich enough to cover Danny's care. He would be bedridden with his arm encased in plaster for weeks, immobile, and they couldn't afford for him to be out of work that long. The garret they shared with a handful of others would need their portion of the rent soon.
Miss Bianchi glanced at him, "We do what we can for the neighborhood, but all of our supplies have to be accounted for. The Central Medical Academy provides a set amount and the only reason we can help the poor at all is wealthy donors."
Al considered for a moment. The soldiers he had seen and the rich wore casts made from camphor, egg, and lead, but these were prohibitively expensive. Everyone else who could afford treatment either splinted the limb and hoped for the best or had it encased in a box form and solid plaster. "I have an idea," he said. "Can we go to one of the rooms where you do casting? I'll pay for the supplies I use. I'm also going to need gauze and any clean linen you have destined for rags."
"Calcium sulfate, water ratio, linen, hmm." Alphonse ran a critical eye over the supplies on the table. He brushed the plaster dust off his hand and pulled a stick of chalk from his pocket to begin drawing circles. Clap alchemy was a secret best kept for now, so the long way would have to do. Soon, there were three connected circles with linen strips in one, a circle with an empty center, and a pile of carefully weighed plaster in the third. His Gate given knowledge provided the exact ratios for the reaction he needed, and he activated the circle. The light faded, leaving only a uniform stack of plaster cloth in the formerly empty circle.
He smiled, "Perfect! One more step to go. Daniel, if you would come over?"
The boys shared a glance, they had heard tales about alchemists. A conversation was held through eye contact and facial expressions, with Sammy scowling at his brother at the end. "Fine! I'll give him a chance!" Danny walked over reluctantly.
Alphonse had Danny sit and place his broken arm on the table. He used the Dragon's Pulse to align the bones as best he could, wrapping the rolled gauze on the arm once it was positioned correctly. "We're going to have to be quick once I start. Don't move your arm before I tell you." Al said, dipping the first plaster strip in the water.
Soon, the cast was done, beginning to harden properly. Al held two fingers from each hand to the cast, silently speeding up the drying process. "Okay. You should be good to go. It's holding the bones in place, but don't try to use this arm too much. I used Xingan alchemy to make sure it lined up right and I'd like to check it again in a week. My own appointment is at 9, so if you want to meet here at 10:30 we can check quickly."
Danny nodded and Sammy helped him tie a strip of cloth into a sling.
~~^~~
After the appointment the next week, Alphonse and Danny had an audience. Dr. Orion, the orthopedist, watched as Al checked Danny's bones through the cast. Once he was done with his alkahestry, Dr. Orion checked the cast itself. Al agreed to publish an article for the medical journals about this new method of casting which was cheaper and more mobile than the rest.
~~^~~
"Mr. Elric! Mr. Elric, sir, you gotta come quick! Old Jim got his arm caught in the mangler and Boss won't let them take him out in case it breaks worse." Sammy was tugging at his sleeve, feet tapping as if they could make him faster.
Alphonse hurried behind, "He may be right, moving Jim's arm may hurt him worse."
Sammy shook his head, "Oh, no, Boss won't let them take Old Jim out in case it breaks the machine worse." Sammy rubbed his arm in sympathy and peered at Alphonse nervously, debating whether to continue. "He said... He said they can always get another Red-eye or gutter trash like me but the machines cost money, begging your pardon, sir."
For a moment, Al missed the armor.
~~ }<^> ~~
They arrived just as two men helped an older man to the curb. The door closed behind them, cutting off a yelled "Back to work or nobody gets paid for toda-!" Al shook his head, the man in front of him comes first.
He splinted the arm as best he could, sending the other two along to bring him to the clinic. Sammy was hovering as Al levered himself back up, when the door slammed back open.
"Where did my other two workers go? They were supposed to get the useless one out of the way and come right back. I'll be docking their pay for this!" The scowling man had expensive looking clothes poorly put together, giving the impression of someone playing dress up. This was the boss then.
Al smiled with a few more teeth than necessary. "That's my fault, I sent them along with James to the clinic. I can tell you're concerned about your workforce, let me help you with that." Al clapped and placed his palms on the side of the factory. Blue light crackled along the machines, pulling metal from further within the building to grow guide bars and safety mechanisms on each one. The chains on the back door and the bars on the high windows melted away like ice in the sun. Deep in the boss's office, the cushions on his chair fell and his file cabinet disappeared, leaving a heap of papers on the ground. Al dusted his hands from the brick as the light died. "All done!" The boss stared as Al walked away.
~~^~~
Eventually, Danny's arm healed, and he and his brother continued to meet with Al as he began to make the rounds of the poor neighborhoods and the slums. Sometimes Alphonse would provide medical care or fix things with alchemy. Other times, he would provide more individual services.
~~ <^>{ ~~
The man sitting across from Big Willie looked weak. He held his cane like a weapon but the gentle smile never left his face. This Alphonse Elric was beginning to be problem to his operations. Why was that last name familiar?
"Look, kid-"
"Alphonse, please."
Willie rolled his eyes, "Fine, Alphonse. I understand that you mean well, but this is my turf. You can't be coming into my patch and setting off the bosses and the owners. I do the protection around here."
Alphonse tilted his head slightly, "You're very bad at it. The people here don't feel protected."
"And it's none of your business!" Willie banged his fist on the table for emphasis, the kid blinked at him, unimpressed.
"It's my business now. You can keep the money from the rents if you want, but you ask me before you raise them. Someone can't pay, you talk to me and I'll find a way. These are my people now, you have other businesses to consider." Al was using his 'We're all reasonable people here, right?' voice.
Willie laughed, grabbing Al by the shirt and raising a fist. "Listen here, you brat. This patch is mine, these people are mine, and if you don't limp your skinny ass out of here right now, I'm going to beat you so bad your momma won't recognize you."
A fire kindled in Al's eyes as he stood abruptly from the chair. He grabbed Willie's wrist, ducked under with his back to Willie's chest, and somehow managed to flip him into the table, which broke. Willie looked up as Al's cane was alchemized into a sword, with the point at his neck. "My mother," Al bit out as the point drifted over his heart, "is dead. You can join her, if you wish to send her my regards. I try very hard not to have to kill people. I've managed so far through sheer force of will."
Al huffed a breath out of his nose and shook his head. Blue lightning traveled across his sword, returning it to a cane, which he leaned on. "You're not worth compromising my principles, but these people are under my protection now. You should go before I change my mind."
Big Willie groaned as he rolled out of the wreckage of the table. He leaned forward for a moment before bulling forward to pin Alphonse against a wall. The kid sidestepped neatly before doing something to the leading arm that had him gasping in pain.
"It's just dislocated at the moment, do I need to break it for you to get the point?" Al asked.
Willie swung his other fist at him, more rage than sense at this point.
"Apparently I do." Al was kind enough to give him a clean break of the radial bone, common and easy to treat. Still quite painful though. "And now you've got no arms left. Are we done, or do I have to break something else?"
Willie lay gasping on the ground, "No, I'll go."
Al smiled brightly at him, "Okay, I'll just reset your shoulder and splint your arm then."
"No, umm, I'll go see a doctor, don't trouble yourself." Willie begged.
"Don't be silly, it'll only hurt for a moment." Al reached towards him as he cowered away, a devious smile on his face. When the screaming turned to whimpers he double checked his work and patted Willie's knee. "There you go, all better."
~~^~~
Some interactions went better than others.
While he was only the unofficial Boss of the lower east side, most of the people there acknowledged him as such and tried not to bother him. So he was surprised to walk into his "office" (a landlord apartment in one of the more troubled buildings) to find a man seated in front of his desk, shaking slightly.
"Can I help you with something, Mr...?"
"Jeffrey Russell. Please, sir, I know my rent is late-"
Al snapped his fingers and pointed at him. Mr. Russel leaned away from his finger as if it were loaded, flinching from the sound. "Right! Your daughter goes to school with Sammy. How is... Julia?"
"Yes, she's Julia, please, I'm begging you, sir, don't hurt my baby! I'll get your rent, I swear it!" Mr. Russel pleaded with tears in his eyes.
Al leaned forward, Mr. Russel leaned back. Soothingly, "Mr. Russel, I'm not mad or threatening you. Like I said, your daughter goes to school with my friend Sammy. He says she's a smart girl, she helps him with his work. I wanted to know if she would be willing to tutor some other students?"
"But-"
"I would pay her, of course!" Al wrote a number on a piece of paper and handed it across the desk.
Mr. Russel looked at it, "That's not-"
"Enough for a month? Paid per week, absolutely!" Al pulled a form out of his desk and started filling it in.
Mr. Russel tried again, "I couldn't-"
"Take less than that per student? You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Russel. But I admire your daughter's scholarship and attitude, so it's a deal." Al turned the paper to face Mr. Russel and held out a pen. A quick perusal of the contract showed his daughter to be making almost as much as him for two hours a night, three times a week, with changes to be approved by both parties.
Jeffrey Russell fainted.
~~^~~
And sometimes he had to make some waves.
~~ }<^> ~~
Alphonse was at the clinic when a boom shook the street and a sprinkle of plaster dust onto their heads. He looked at the doctors for a moment before grabbing his cane and hurrying to the column of dust he saw in the distance. The doctors rushed past him with their bags. A few bystanders were already pulling people from his building and laying them out for the doctors.
Old Jim tugged at his pant leg as he passed, "Mr. Austin was here before the explosion. He was headed for the basement, asked for you." Jim broke off to cough into his sleeve.
Al waved one of the volunteers over, "Just rest for now, I'll take care of everyone I can." Jim nodded as the volunteer eased him back down.
He came up to the joint of two still standing walls and clapped, letting his alchemy shore up what weak spots he could and finding the life signs left in the building. Al directed volunteers to the ones he could read and started toward his office. Danny and Sammy followed him silently.
"Something I should know?" He asked without looking back.
Danny spoke up, "Mr. Austin owned this building before, word is that he's still listed on the papers and needed some quick money. One of the other runners told me today, honest, I came right here to find you!"
Al sighed, "I don't blame you, this isn't your fault. You boys go help the others, I'm going to clear my office and rejoin everyone in a few minutes."
Sammy looked like he would argue for a moment before his brother put a hand on his arm and shook his head. They made eye contact, they'd be coming back as soon as they could to check on him.
Al kicked some debris out of the way to open his door. He looked inside at the pile of wood and plaster collapsed against the far wall and shook his head.
He closed the door. "You know, hubris is a dangerous trait. Why would you blow up a building you were inside of, Mr. Austin? Do you have a death wish? I can easily oblige."
Mr Austin, with his legs trapped, "You won't kill me, you're too soft. I've heard about you, kid. I'd expect someone called 'the shark' to have more teeth."
Al, gripping his cane, "You're right, I won't kill you. Heavens no. I've learned a lot from the doctors, they have this thing called triage. So what I'm going to do is rescue all these people you endangered and if there's enough time, I'll send someone back to rescue you. If you do survive this, it'll go one of two ways. Either I'm the steadfast worker, saving people from this terrible accident, whose care you will help fund. Alternatively, you're a greedy slumlord, endangering all these poor people because you're too stupid to know what the phrase 'load bearing' means."
Al leans in close, "You know, it looks like your legs are broken. If I'm not too tired after rescuing all these people, I bet I can set them up good as new. Of course, getting you out might break a few more, but what's a few broken bones instead of your life? Could be worse, you know?"
~~^~~
Unfortunately, even slime can have connections. Enough of a fuss was made for Al to be subjected to a lecture from Mustang and, even worse, Hawkeye's Disappointed Face. Brother came in halfway through lecture #2 'Why have you turned to a life of crime, you used to be such a good boy?'
Ed plopped himself on Mustang's couch, crossing his feet on the table. "I'm disappointed too, Al." He smirked.
Al interjected, "Don't you start-"
Ed leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling, "Yeah. If you're going to start a life of crime, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, making the upper crust piss themselves-"
He kicked his feet back to the floor, leaning forward to point an accusing finger at Al, "I expect to be invited! Hell, Winry's bored too sometimes, let's all shake this place up!"
At his desk, Mustang facepalmed, Ed continued, "I can't believe you left me out in the sticks, being a responsible adult." He shook his head, "Hogging all the fun. I expect better from you, Alphonse."
Ed addressed Mustang, "There, I talked to him, explaining my disappointment and my expectations moving forward. That's what you wanted, right?"
Mustang had his head cradled in both hands. He took a deep breath, "Fine. All Elrics out of my office now."
Ed linked arms with Al and pulled him out the door, "Great, see you all later. Let's go, delinquent."
Hawkeye shook her head as they left.